ACCEPTANCE RATE
13%
More selective than 8% of listed universities.
SelectiveAccessible
Private University
Bates College
Bates College is a private nonprofit four-year institution located in Lewiston, Maine. The campus fosters intellectual inquiry within a community dedicated to academic excellence and social responsibility.
Lewiston, MECity: Small
13%ACCEPTANCE
$26,658AVG NET PRICE
91%GRAD RATE
1,753STUDENTS
University data profileIPEDS 2023
THE SIGNATURE
Bates College Report Card
Explore university facts, programs, and campus life at a glance.
Bates College operates as a private nonprofit college in Lewiston, Maine, where the home is described as the perfect site for engaged learning. The institution stands firmly for ideals of academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, egalitarianism, social justice and freedom. Students experience an educational environment that aligns who they are with what they do through personalized support and mentorship.
A dedicated community of scholars, scientists, and artists prioritizes student success through first-year seminars to the senior thesis. The curriculum allows students to choose from undergraduate majors or design their own interdisciplinary major through the Independent Interdisciplinary Studies program. Faculty members are a dedicated community who prioritize student success through personalized support.
The college is situated in Lewiston, which is described as a vibrant, dynamic, and accessible community serving as the new college town. This setting supports engaged learning within an environment that aligns who students are with what they do.
AT A GLANCE
TypePrivateFour or more years
SettingCity: Small
Calendarsemester
GETTING IN
Admissions
Admission to Bates College is selective with an acceptance rate of 13 percent from 8937 applicants. The institution maintains a rigorous academic environment supported by faculty dedicated to student success through personalized support and mentorship.
Source: IPEDS 2023
SAT RANGE (MID 50%)
1,400–1,510
4001600
APPLICATION FEE
Undergraduate application fee $60.
WHAT IT COSTS
Cost & Financial Aid
Sticker price tells you little — net price after aid is what most families actually pay.
Source: IPEDS 2023
IN-STATE TUITION & FEES
$63,478/yr
Out-of-state: $63,478/yr.
Net price by income band
$0–$30,000
$30,001–$48,000
$48,001–$75,000
$75,001–$110,000
$110,001+
AVERAGE NET PRICE AFTER AID
$26,658/yr
▲ 2% since 2020-2140% receive aid
Average aid package $52,190.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Academics
The curriculum allows students to choose from undergraduate majors or design their own interdisciplinary major through the Independent Interdisciplinary Studies program. Faculty members are a dedicated community who prioritize student success through personalized support and mentorship.
Source: IPEDS 2023
Student–faculty ratio
10:1
6-year graduation rate
91%
▲ 3 pts since 2016
First-year retention
94%
Compared with the 89% public-university median.
Undergrad majors
36
Undergraduate majors and programs
MOST POPULAR FIELDS OF STUDY
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics.13.9%
Environmental Studies.10.5%
Political Science and Government, General.10.3%
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other.9.6%
Biology/Biological Sciences, General.8.7%
Biochemistry.5.7%
CAMPUS LIFE
Campus & Housing
Campus housing shows how many students live on-campus — which means nearby housing can be essential to the college experience.
On-campus beds
1,737
Setting
City: Small
IN CONTEXT
Bates College vs. peer institutions
How Bates College compares with officially identified or editorially reviewed peer institutions.
Bates College
$26,658
Bowdoin College
$23,110
Swarthmore College
$17,930
AFTER GRADUATION
Student outcomes
What graduates earn and how reliably they land work — the bottom-line return on the degree.
Source: College Scorecard 2025
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$69,498
Working after 10 yrs
37.4%
Share of former students working and not enrolled, ten years after entry.
Earning more than a high-school graduate
95.8%
95.8% of students out-earn the typical high-school graduate — a core measure of mobility.
Data Sources: U.S. Department of Education IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics. University Apartments is not affiliated with Bates College.